At least he's quiet ;)

Ian is sick, the kind of sick that has him flat on his back and shivering because he can't get warm enough even though he's been running a temperature. The high was 103^o, which was enough to get me to drag him to the doctor. Normally forcing him to see a doctor would have been accompanied by a lot of whining, but he felt so bad he didn't even have the energy for that. Diagnosis: the flu.

He was less upset with the idea that he had the flu than he was that he got sick right before Rachel's birthday, and was more worried about ruining it for her than he was worried about getting worse. My dad and his brother picked up the slack and took her and her brothers out to dinner, and she got to do everything else that had been planned, but it was without her dad or me there, and she seemed just fine about that. As long as Ian makes it up to her--she's using it as a way to get some quality Daddy time--she's fine. And she's old enough to understand.

Then tonight rolled around. He was going to drive her on her first date, and as much as he hates the idea that she's even thinking of boys and going places with them, he wanted to be the one to take her. Alex agreed to go (because Rachel's date, Cheese (really, his nickname is Cheese) was not going to be allowed to go without Alex as chaperon) but Alex doesn't drive, and Ian was pretty firm on the rule being that until we get to know Cheese and his parents better, if they go out, he's driving them.

He wasn't going to now tell her she had to delay her first date. So he called my dad, who agreed to stand in for him. Cheese, Rachel said, wasn't happy. Evidently Cheese is terrified of my dad. And he should be; my dad is a pretty formidable presence. Rachel's obviously not afraid of Grandpa, but she wasn't happy, either, because Grandpa is not the drop-off-and-leave kind of chaperon. He fully intended to go into the theater with them, even though Alex and Stephanie were going to be there.

Still, they went. And Craig picked Kevin up to take him to another movie, so that Kevin would have something fun to do this weekend, too. And sick or not, Ian and I were looking forward to a quiet evening just lounging in bed watching TV. He's had an appetite today, and I was going to order a pizza for him, well aware than he'd probably just nibble at it, but after the kids all left he asked for grilled cheese instead, ate half, and while I tried to snuggle up to him and watch TV, he fell asleep.

Slowly but surely he's starting to feel better, but I think he's still got several more days of staying in bed and away from the kids.